Norovirus: The Burden of the Unknown

Randazzo, Walter; D’Souza, Doris H.; Sánchez, Glòria

doi:10.1016/bs.afnr.2018.02.005

Cited by 32 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 179 publications

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“…The presence of human enteric viruses in vegetables has been reported with markedly varying levels between studies [28][29][30][31][32]. Viral contamination that may be present on the product can spread throughout the production batch when the product is washed, warranting investigation about the levels of human enteric viruses in PW.…”

Section: Occurrence Of Coliphages and Human Enteric Viruses In Process Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence and Accumulation of Human Enteric Viruses and Phages in Process Water from the Fresh Produce Industry

Cuevas-Ferrando

Allende

Pérez-Cataluña

et al. 2021

Foods

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The virological quality of process water (PW) used by the produce industry has received limited attention. As a first step to overcoming technical limitations in monitoring viruses in PW, the analytical performance of ultrafiltration was assessed to concentrate viral particles from 20 L of spiked PW. The selected method used for sample concentration of PW was carefully validated, thus enabling the accurate quantification and estimation of viral titers of human enteric viruses and phages. PW from the produce industry was collected periodically from the washing tanks of commercial facilities. The analysis of coliphages was performed by plaque assay, while the occurrence of enteric viruses and crAssphage was determined by molecular techniques. Significant differences in the physicochemical composition of PW, mostly due to the different nature of fresh produce types and differences in the sanitizer used in commercial operation, were observed. Accumulation of crAssphage and coliphages was observed in PW, but correlation with human enteric viruses was not possible due to the low prevalence of these pathogens in the PW analyzed. The obtained results showed that depending on the type of product washed, the product/water ratio and the residual concentrations of the sanitizers, the prevalence and concentration of bacteriophages changed significantly.

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Section: Occurrence Of Coliphages and Human Enteric Viruses In Process Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence and Accumulation of Human Enteric Viruses and Phages in Process Water from the Fresh Produce Industry

Cuevas-Ferrando

Allende

Pérez-Cataluña

et al. 2021

Foods

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“…There are 106 to 109 stable, nonenveloped virus particles per milliliter of excreta, creating unlimited opportunities for further infection transmission and outbreaks [26]. Noroviruses are primarily transmitted via fecal-oral and vomit-oral routes and either person-to-person contact or contaminated food or water, as well as environmental contamination [27].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic Characteristics and Evolutionary Analysis of a Rare GI.1 Norovirus Isolate From Beijing, China

Zhang

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Noroviruses are one of the main pathogens of acute gastroenteritis, causing frequent outbreaks worldwide every year that seriously affect human health. The GII.4 genotype causes most norovirus (NoV) infections and large-scale outbreaks. By contrast, the GI genotype is relatively rare. In this study, the whole genome sequence of a newly isolated ZD strain from a patient in Beijing, China, was sequenced and analyzed. The ZD strain genome consisted of 7,597 nucleotides and contained three open reading frames. Whole-genomic analysis indicated the strain was a GI.1 genotype, and no recombination site was detected in the genome. The histo-blood group antigen (HBGA)binding site associated with invasion of the GI genotype did not change, implying relatively conservative evolution. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the VP1 sequence of GI.1 strains could be divided into three clusters according to time of appearance: older (1968-2011), earlier (2011-2015), and new (2017-2018). Each cluster showed distinctive amino acid substitution characteristics, and the number of substitutions increased with time. The isolated ZD strain was in the new cluster. This study is the first to conduct a phylogenetic analysis of a GI genotype NoV isolated from Beijing. The results improve understanding of NoV diversity in China and can be a reference for further study of nondominant epidemic strains of NoVs as well as epidemic prevention and control.

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“…Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is a promising tool for epidemiological investigation of a foodborne outbreak, including identification of related cases, source tracking and development of intervention strategies [49]. Although WGS methods have been employed on clinical samples to delineate linked NoV cases [50, 51], NoV WGS methods are yet to be developed to be applied on food, since the small number of viral particles, as well as the presence of inhibitors in naturally contaminated food products, make the current WGS protocols inefficient [52]. For this reason, even exhaustive data mining of 29 million sequence reads obtained from RNA-Seq analysis of naturally contaminated frozen strawberries led to the recovery of only one short read, with a length of 146 bp, that showed homology to the NoV genome [53].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Foodborne viruses are highly infectious and food samples present a challenging matrix; therefore, sensitive methods that are capable of extracting low levels of contaminating virus for downstream molecular characterisation are needed. Nevertheless, the results of molecular analysis should be interpreted with caution; positive results merely indicate the presence of viral genome, and do not address the infectivity status of the detected virus, while negative results do not completely rule out the risk of viral contamination [52]. For these reasons, viral testing is not routinely performed in regulatory food laboratories worldwide [58].…”

Section: Policy and Guidelines Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foodborne viral outbreaks associated with frozen produce

2019

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Over the past decade, frozen fruits have been a major vehicle of foodborne illnesses mainly attributed to norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections. Fresh produce may acquire viral contamination by direct contact with contaminated surface, water or hands, and is then frozen without undergoing proper decontamination. Due to their structural integrity, foodborne viruses are able to withstand hostile conditions such as desiccation and freezing, and endure for a long period of time without losing their infectivity. Additionally, these foods are often consumed raw or undercooked, which increases the risk of infection. Herein, we searched published literature and databases of reported outbreaks as well as the databases of news articles for the viral outbreaks associated with the consumption of frozen produce between January 2008 and December 2018; recorded the worldwide distribution of these outbreaks; and analysed the implication of consumption of different types of contaminated frozen food. In addition, we have briefly discussed the factors that contribute to an increased risk of foodborne viral infection following the consumption of frozen produce. Our results revealed that frozen fruits, especially berries and pomegranate arils, contributed to the majority of the outbreaks, and that most outbreaks were reported in industrialised countries.

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Norovirus: The Burden of the Unknown

Cited by 32 publications

References 179 publications

Occurrence and Accumulation of Human Enteric Viruses and Phages in Process Water from the Fresh Produce Industry

Occurrence and Accumulation of Human Enteric Viruses and Phages in Process Water from the Fresh Produce Industry

Genomic Characteristics and Evolutionary Analysis of a Rare GI.1 Norovirus Isolate From Beijing, China

Foodborne viral outbreaks associated with frozen produce

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